The Makers of Canada: Champlain eBook

Jean de Lauzon, intendant of the company for Canadian
affairs, made a formal protest, and thus these noble
missionaries were forced to abandon their work in
Canada. The Recollets were much disappointed,
but Father Le Caron, the first apostle to the Huron
tribes, was so distressed at the news that he was
taken ill and died on March 29th, 1632, some days
before the departure of Emery de Caen for Quebec.
He had brought some manuscripts from Canada, which
were accidently burnt in Normandy. This man was
perhaps the purest example of all the Recollets in
Canada. Others had a more illustrious name, but
none gave greater proof of devotedness and courage
in their dealings with the Indians, and especially
the Hurons. He was generally regarded as a saint.

CHAPTER XIII

THE JESUIT MISSIONS IN NEW FRANCE

The Jesuits, who had only been in the country about
four years, had not as yet a true idea of the magnitude
of the task they had undertaken. Father Charles
Lalemant had abandoned the theatre of his first apostolic
labours on our Canadian soil, at the same time that
some workmen whom Father Noyrot had brought from France
during the preceding year, left the place. He
was the last representative, together with Fathers
Masse, de Nouee and de Brebeuf of the primitive church
of Canada. Mention has been made of the temporary
residence in the convent of the Recollets, and of
a building which was erected for themselves at about
two hundred feet from the shore, near the junction
of the river Lairet and the river St. Charles.
The Jesuits received a concession of this land which
was bounded on the west by a stream called St. Michel,
and the river St. Mary or Beauport on the east.
This was named the Seigniory of Notre Dame des Anges.

The Jesuits’ convent was finished on April 6th,
1626. It was a poor residence of about forty
feet in length and thirty feet in width. The
building contained a small chapel dedicated to Notre
Dame des Anges, on account of a picture which decorated
a wall representing the Blessed Virgin receiving the
homage of angels. This name extended beyond the
chapel, and was given to the seigniory, and after a
lapse of three centuries, it remains unchanged.

The different mission-stations of the Jesuits in Canada
and around the gulf of the St. Lawrence were maintained
at the expense of the Hundred Associates from the
year 1632, with the exception of their college at
Quebec which was founded through the liberality of
the Marquis de Gamache, who gave them a sum of sixteen
thousand ecus d’or for that purpose, in 1626,
on the occasion of his son taking religious vows.
The offer was accepted by Father Vitelleschi, general
of the order, and the college was founded in 1635,
and opened a few years later. “This,”
writes Parkman, “was the cradle of the great
missions of Canada!”

As soon as the Jesuits arrived they commenced to repair
their residence, and in the year 1632 it was in a
fit state for a banquet which was given to Emery de
Caen, who had been appointed governor ad interim
of the French colony.